Field
The present disclosure generally relates to attenuators, and, more particularly to attenuators having a thin-film resistor assembly.
Description of the Related Art
Attenuators can be utilized to attenuate an input signal and yield an output signal. Such an attenuator can be utilized in a number of applications, including radio-frequency applications such as fiber-optics, radar, microwave radio, and test and measurement applications. For such applications, it can be desirable to have attenuators of high return loss, good attenuation flatness, and/or high power handling capability. Keeping down the manufacturing cost (e.g., by reducing the die size) while achieving high performance such as power handling capability, can also be an important consideration in a competitive commercial market.
In some designs, improving the power handling capability of a resistive attenuator can be achieved by increasing the width of the series thin-film resistor at the expense of larger die size. However, increasing the width can leave the resistor vulnerable to hot-spotting at or near the center causing burn-out at lower powers.